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The city of Long Beach has proposed a new measure that would add a general tax to local businesses that distribute marijuana, should the drug be legalized statewide in November.

As reported by the Long Beach Press Telegram, Measure MA would include a 6 percent gross receipts tax on medical and non-medical marijuana businesses in the city, with the option to increase to a maximum tax rate of 8 percent. The city tax would be added to the drug’s built-in statewide tax.

The tax revenue would go to the city’s regulation of the marijuana industry. It would also fund homeless assistance programs and 9-1-1 emergency response. If the measure passes, along with statewide legalization of marijuana and a local initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Long Beach, the city predicts it would bring in $13 million annually.

But a July ballot initiative, Measure MM, proposed a rate that would not put a tax on recreational marijuana. In addition, it would impose a 6 percent tax on medical marijuana dispensaries with an option to lower the rate.

Proponents of Measure MM are concerned with patients who may not be able to afford expenses the tax would impose, and force them to buy unregulated marijuana on the black market.

Those behind the higher tax rates of Measure MA, including Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, are emphasizing the potential public safety resources that would receive more funding, should the measure pass.

Measure MA could also set a precedent for other cities, and force businesses and consumers to buy and sell marijuana in areas with lower tax rates.

What do you think about Measure MA, and how it could impact the potential sale of marijuana from city to city in California? Should recreational and medical marijuana be taxed to fund public safety programs, or is this just another way to keep people from using the drug if it becomes legalized?